When I was making the decision to move to California, I remember vaguely that one of my considerations on the downside was that I would need to take the CA bar exam eventually...I didnt think much of it until late last year, when I had to force myself to sign up for the test and, best of all, enroll as an "ALUMNI" in my BarBri bar review class. My memories of my first BarBri experience are nothing but fond. Taking the class in the summer of 2002 was a rite of passage - right after graduation from law school and before starting my REAL job. It was a good transition into working life - part academics, part mindless, useless paperwork - it really was the perfect blend of both worlds.
This time around (and I never thought there would be a SECOND time for BarBri), the novelty has largely worn off. Part of me feels kind of nostalgic going to a lecture every day, doing homework, turning in essays, practicing multiple choice questions at Starbucks while I sip on a latte and people watch. It truly does bring back some memories of school - and a simpler time. But my predominant emotion is annoyance. Having the perspective of working for a few years really makes me realize how useless the things are you need to know to pass the bar exam. I really did not have an appreciation for this the first time around. After all, I had just spent 3 years learning nothing but theoretical law...which I was pretty sure I would never use in real life. It seemed natural. Now, it seems like a really big waste of time. Today, for example, I am spent my morning memorizing elements to crimes that have not been crimes since the Tudor dynasty. Later on, I am going to practice writing a practice Bar Exam essay - which, as you're trained to do in BarBri, requires you to put aside almost all analytical legal thought and regurgitate the elements of the crimes I memorized this morning. One important skill you need to learn in preparing for the bar exam is that you can't be too smart for the test. In the words of one of the BarBri lecturers...just be a sheep. Not the most engaging way to spend 6 weeks of your intellectual life.
I have been thinking about the best analogy for nonlawyers to really understand what you have to learn to pass the bar exam. I think I finally came up with something: imagine, at the end of high school, if you had to memorize the alphabet in a random but very specific order before you could go on to college. At heart, there are some nuggets of useful knowledge and/or skills that are being tested (memorization and letters) but overall, it's a very specific hazing ritual, the fruits of which will never EVER again be useful to you.
Back to memorization!
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